《三字经》自宋朝以来，已有七百多年历史，可谓家喻户晓，脍炙人口。共一千多字，三字一句的韵文极易成诵，内容包括了中国传统的教育、历史、天文、地理、伦理和道德以及一些民间传说等，广泛生动而又言简意赅。

《三字经》早就不仅仅属于汉民族了，它有满文、蒙文译本。《三字经》也不再仅仅属于中国，它的英文、法文译本也已经问世。1990年新加坡出版的英文新译本更是被联合国教科文组织选入“儿童道德丛书”，加以世界范围的推广，也是儿童的必读必背的书籍。

三字经

Three-Character Canon, which was composed by Wang Yinglin(1223-1296), a famous scholar of the South Song Dynasty, is said to be the most popular writing for primary education in anchient China.Short and concise as it is, it contains a vast range of comprehensive knowledge.That is why it is widely influencial in China today.

人之初，性本善。性相近，习相远。

At the beginning of life,

Man is good in nature.

Human nature is alike,

Habits make them different.

苟不教，性乃迁。教之道，贵以专。

For lack of communication,

The nature is in alteration;

And the nurture of the young,

Better be maintained for long.

昔孟母，择邻处。子不学，断机杼。

Once Mencius' mother 

Chose the best neighborhood for her son; (1)

When her son played truant,

She cut the threads on the loom. (2)

(1)Mencius (372 BC-289BC), a great thinker during the Warring States period. According to historical records, Mencius was very young when his father died. In order to train him in sound surroundings, his mother Zhang moved their home three times.Originally they lived near a graveyard, where she found her son imitating the acts of mourning.She thought is was bad for her son's upbring, and then she moved the home to the town and live near a butcher's. There, however, she found her son imitating the acts of killing pigs and sheep. It was not a proper environment for her son, either. At last, the mother and son moved again and lived near a school, where young Mencius began to imitate the scholars' behavior and study. THe mother was very pleased with this, and she decided to settle down there. This is the famous story of "Three Moves by Mencius' Mother".

(2)One day, seeing young Mencius run back home playing truant, his mother, who was weaving at the loom, became so angry that she cut off all the threads on the loom. She said to her son,"I'm weaving inch by inch, and if I cut off the threads now, I can no longer weave a piece of cloth. Your learning is the same as weaving cloth. If you fail to accumulate your knowledge day by day, you'll never succeed." Young Mencius was deeply soory for his deed, and began to make great efforts in his studies, so much so, that he became a great thinker as well as a sage, second only to Confucius.

窦燕山，有义方。教五子，名俱扬。

Another case is Dou Yanshan,

Who was wise in family education.

He raised his five sons,

And all of them were blessed with fame. (1)

(1) Dou Yanshan,  a famous historical figure in the period of Five Dynasties. His real name was Dou Yujun. Since he lived at the foot of Yanshan Mountain, he was also called Dou Yanshan. He had five sons, whom he raised in such a wise way that all of them became high government officials. This is the well-known story of  "Five Sons, All Ascend".

养不教，父之过。教不严，师之惰。

Rear children without instructing them,

And the father should be blamed;

Teach in a slack and lazy way,

And the teacher should be criticized.

子不学，非所宜。幼不学，老何为？

If a pupil plays truant,

It proves to be improper.

If a child fails to learn,

What can he be when getting old?

玉不琢，不成器。人不学，不知义。

Without being carved and polished,

A jade can't be a work of art. 

If one does not learn,

He'll not know human virtues.

为人子，方少时。亲师友，习礼仪。

When one is young,

He should make best of his time,

Associating with the good and the wise,

And learning to stand on ceremony.

香九龄，能温席。孝于亲，所当执。

When Huang Xiang (1) was nine years old,

He could warm the mat for his father.

Whoever has love for their parents

Should be as kind as such.

(1) Huang Xiang, a historical figure during the period of East Han. His mother died when he was young. He loved his father so much that during the hot summers he fanned his father to make him cool, and during the cold winter he kept him warm. When he grew up, learned and noble, he became a minister in the government.

融四岁，能让梨。弟于长，宜先知。

When Kong Rong(1) was four years old,

He could offer his brothers the bigger pears.

Even if one is quite young,

One should love one's brothers.

(1) Kong Rong (153 - 208), a high official and a man of letters in the late Han Dynasty, was one of the twentieth-generation of desciples(followers) of Confucius.

首孝悌，次见闻。知某数，识某文。一而十，十而百。百而千，千而万。

One should bear familial love from the outset

Before he starts to learn,

Including counting and computing,

As well as reading and writing.

One times ten is ten,

Ten times ten is a hundred,

A hundred times a hundred is a thousand,

And a thousand times ten is ten thousand.

三才者，天地人。三光者，日月星。三纲者，君臣义。父子亲，夫妇顺。

There're three essential elements to know, 

They are heaven, earth and man.

There are three kinds of light;

They're from the sun, the moon, and the stars.

There are three ethnical disciplines(1) :

That of loyal between the king and his men,

of love between father and son,

And of harmony between husband and wife.

(1) The Three Ethical Disciplines are the basic rules of behavior in ancient China. According  to the doctrines of the Confucianism of the Song School, the emperor should set the disciplines for his subjects; the father should set the disciplines for his sons; and the husband should set the disciplines for his wife. This is referred to as the Three Disciplines.

曰春夏，曰秋冬。此四时，运不穷。曰南北，曰西东。此四方，应乎中。

There are Spring and Summer,

And Autumn and Winter:

They are the four seasons,

Alternating all the year round.

There are north and south,

And east and west:

They are the four directions,

Laid out by central position.

曰水火，木金土。此五行，本乎数。曰仁义，礼智信。此五常，不容紊。

There are water and fire,

And wood, metal, and earth:

They are five elementals,

Related to the numerals.

There are benevolence, righteousness,

And courtesy, intelligence and loyalty.

They are the five human norms,

Which are regulated in certain terms.

稻粱菽，麦黍稷。此六谷，人所食。马牛羊，鸡犬豕。此六畜，人所饲。

There are rice, sorghum and bean,

And wheat, millet and corn:

They are six kinds of grain

For one to serve as food.

There are the horse, the ox and the sheep,

And the foul, the dog, and the pig:

They're six kinds of livestock,

Raised in herds by the farmers.

曰喜怒，曰哀惧；爱恶欲，七情具。匏土革，木石金。与丝竹，乃八音。

There are joy and anger,

And sorrow and fear,

And love, hate and desire:

They are seven human feelings altogether.

There are gourd, pottery, leather,

And wood, stone and metal,

Together with string and bamboo,

All these can be made into musical instruments.

高曾祖，父而身；身而子，子而孙；自子孙，至元曾。乃九族，而之伦。

From his great-great-grandfather,

To his great-grandfather,

To his grandfather and father,

To himself and his son,

To his grandson and great-grandson,

And to his great-great-grandson:

Whoever is born into the world

Will face the nine-layer relation.(1)

(1) According to the ethical doctrines in ancient China, a person usually has nine-layer relations in the family, namely, 1)great-great-grandfather; 2)great-grandfather; 3)grandfather; 4)father; 5)self; 6)son; 7)grandson; 8)great-grandson; 9)great-great-grandson.

父子恩，夫妇从；兄则友，弟则恭。长幼序，友与朋。君则敬，臣则忠。

There should be affection between father and son,

As well as love between husband and wife.

Brothers should be kind to each other:

The elder's amiable, and the younger respectful.

A harmony should be maintained 

Among families as well as friends.

Even the king should be cordial,

To whom the subjects can be loyal.